A double to make it all worthwhile

Players of the Bangladesh team pose with the trophy after Bangladesh defeated the West Indies in a Twenty20 international cricket match, August 6, 2018, in Lauderhill, Florida. (Photo | AP)

Bangladesh setup a stunning turnaround on a month-long tour to West Indies and the USA, clinching the T20I series 2-1 after the same margin of victory in the ODI series, though they started their tour campaign with 0-2 loss in Test.

Tamim, Shakib, Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah, contributed a staggering 71 percent of all runs -- 1800 runs for 69 wickets -- Bangladesh scored on their tour to West Indies and the USA.

Tamim scored the only two centuries while four senior batsmen scored eight out of the 10 half-centuries. But in stark contrast, eight of Bangladesh’s best young batsmen could muster only 369 runs in 29 innings combined.

Liton Kumar Das, Anamul Haque, Soumya Sarkar, Sabbir Rahman, Mosaddek Hossain, Mominul Haque, Ariful Haque and Nurul Hasan scored only two fifties between them. It proved to be a major problem on tour, with much of Bangladesh’s fortunes depending on that of these four batsmen.

Bangladesh grabbed victory in T20I series decider in front of a large Bangladesh’s crowd defeating Windies by 19 runs in DLS at Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground in Lauderhill, Florida in the USA.

The visiting side lost the first game by seven wickets also in a rain-interrupted affair at Warner Park, Basseterre in St Kitts and made a comeback with a 12-run win in the second game before the series decider on August 6.

Bangladesh captain and player of the series Shakib (103 runs; 19-60-24), experienced opener Tamim (95 runs; 0-74-21) were the main batting heroes as Bangladesh’s top run-getters in T20s while Mahmudullah Riyad, who didn’t go on to get a big score but hit quick scores [35 off 27b; 13* off 10b; 32* off 20b] in the three games.

The hero of the T20I series decider and man of the match opening batsman Liton Kumar Das certainly did a great job as he slammed a 32-ball 61 to set up Bangladesh’s win, proving him as fit-one to open innings with Tamim.

Among bowlers cutter master Mustafizur Rahman was vibrant in T20Is with 8 for 99 runs in three games -- 2/18, expensive 3/50 and 3/31 in three games.

Bangladesh turnaround on the tour with the victory in their favourite format as Mashrafe Bin Mortaza-led limited over side had taken the lead in the ODI series with a comfortable 48-run win in the first game while the Windies bounced back, winning the second game by three runs in a last-over thriller, making the 3rd game as series decider where Bangladesh got an 18-run victory, putting up 301/6, a high-scoring one on Windies soil, and the Windies were then in hot pursuit before stopping at 283/6.

In the first game Bangladesh scored 279 for 4 in 50 overs and restricted Windies at 231 for 9 in 50 overs. The visitors finished at 268 for 6 in 50 overs, in reply to Windies 271 for all in 49.3 overs in the second game.

The highest run-getter [6305 runs in ODI, 4049 in Test and 1433 in T20I] for Bangladesh in all format of international cricket, opener Tamim was outstanding throughout the series with 287 [130*, 54 and 103] from three games.

Player of the series Tamim has taken his century tally in ODIs to 11, which is the most in numbers among Bangladesh players.

The talismanic all-rounder Shakib also had a good series with scores of 190 [97, 56 and 37], and two wickets in the second game. He played 121, 72 and 44 balls in three innings.

Tamim and Shakib shared a world record of highest partnership aggregation in a three-match ODI series in a successive wicket with 385 in the second wicket, which included Bangladesh’s 2nd highest ODI partnership of 207 came from off 43 overs in the first game before a 97 off 24.3 overs and 81 off 16 overs in the second and third games.

Among other experienced Bangladesh players dependable Mahmudullah Riyad [49-ball 67* in the 3rd game] and a consistent performer Mushfiqur Rahim [rapid 11-ball 30 in the first game and a 67-ball 68 in the second] played much sounded innings with bat in the series.

Thanks to Mashrafe’s luck winning the toss in all three games of the series -- elected bat, bowl and bat -- and an innings of 25-ball 36 that included four boundaries -- of them three successive in 42nd over off Windies skipper Jason Holder -- and one six in the 3rd game.

Mashrafe was the series topper in terms of wickets, with seven including 4/37 in the first match, while his fellow pace-man Mustafizur Rahman was other Bangladesh’s best bowler with six including 2/35 in the first game in the Caribbean.

Completing third ODI series win against West Indies, Bangladesh got an ODI series victory after around a two-year break. Mashrafe’s men last got a series win in this format against Afghanistan at home in September 2016.

Bangladesh first got a series win 3-0 on a West Indies tour in July 2009 and a 3-2 win at home in November 2012.

Shakib-led Bangladesh’s Test side struggled to put up a fight against the Jason Holder-led West Indies in the two-Test series, but swept out by 2-0 in Antigua and Jamaica.

Bangladesh’s had massive loss by an innings and 219 runs in the first Test inside three days where hapless visiting side could stay for 58.5 overs to collect 187 runs for the cost of all 20 wickets of two innings.

Moreover, Bangladesh recorded their lowest-ever total of 43/10 in a Test innings, which recorded in the first innings of the game in Antigua.

The visiting side never made a comeback in the Test series with poor shows of 149/10 in 46.1 overs in the 1st innings and 168/10 in 42 overs in the 2nd innings for a 166-run defeat in the 2nd Test also ended in a three-day affair in Jamaica.

Categories

About Dhaka Courier

Dhaka Courier one of the highest circulated weekly and the most nationally distinguished English language Magazine of Bangladesh for the past 35 years. Published every Friday, upholding the highest journalistic and social ethics, the magazine has a laudable circulation amongst the key decision makers in the country, amongst top ranking officials in both the public and private sectors.